Jean Avisse, Pair Of Louis XVI Period Chairs.

Elegant pair of molded, carved, and painted beech chairs, Louis XVI period, each stamped IAVISSE for Jean Avisse, master seat carpenter received in Paris on November 10, 1745. The openwork racket backs, in the shape of a lyre known as “en gerbe” with exposed spindles, demonstrate remarkable mastery of composition. The molded apron with rounded corners fits a horseshoe-shaped seat, resting on four tapered and fluted rudenté legs, with connecting dice decorated with carved rosettes. Made of painted beech, these chairs retain an old cream paint with a soft and even patina. They are in very good condition and have just been covered with a fabric from the Lelièvre house (Quenin collection), with an Indian motif, produced according to 18th century archival documents and highlighted with a braid. Under the belt is the stamp "IAVISSE", as well as a red wax seal, an old collection inventory mark, attesting to the passage of this pair in a listed set. Jean Avisse (1723 – after 1796), documented by Pierre Kjellberg (Le Mobilier français du XVIIIe siècle, Éd. de l'Amateur, t. I, p. 31–33), was one of the most renowned seat joiners in 18th-century Paris. His production, of impeccable quality of execution, combines elegance and balance, the majority of his production is Louis XV, rarer are the Louis XVI joinery, bringing rarity to our model of chairs which are currently the only ones referenced in the production of Jean Avisse. Comparable models with a sheaf backrest are preserved in the collections of the Mobilier national (inv. MNT 2016/109, Louis XVI model), although the shape of our pair is distinguished by a more structured sheaf and a slightly lower backrest height. Dimensions: Backrest height: 84 cm Seat height: 42 cm Width: 44 cm Depth: 51 cm Bibliography: Pierre Kjellberg, Le mobilier français du XVIIIe siècle. Dictionnaire des ébénistes et des menuisiers, Paris, Éd. de l'Amateur, 1989, t. I, pp. 31–33. Guillaume Janneau, Les Sièges, Éditions Jacques Fréal, Paris, ill. n°306. Mobilier national, inv. MNT 2016/109, comparable model with a sheaf backrest.